Miniature Disasters
by Veracity's Word
Summary: With all the jumping through time they do it was a wonder that coming face to face with there future selves was so surprising. Connor/Abby, Nick/Jenny
1. Chapter 1

**So...yeah...I had been diligently working on my two massive Primeval projects, when - as per usual - I got distracted. In this case I was poking around some of my old notebooks for some lost snipets of the fics I had been working on when I found this tucked in a corner. It isn't finished of as of yet, but so far I know exactly where it's going and how I'm going to end it. It shouldn't be longer than four to five chapters, but even with it being as short as it is I have no promises of regular updates...I'm woefully horrible at updating...**

**As always I love reviews and reviewers more than life itself and would love you all eternally if anything off or down right screwy with my work was brought to my attention.**

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The ceiling was what one would expect a ceiling to look like. It was white, smooth, a tad boring, and above her head. All things a ceiling should be. It was also, as it turned out, all she could see when she slowly returned to consciousness.

Blinking, trying hard to push away the bleariness that held her vision hostage, she avoided moving. Moving, she thought dully, was a _bad_ idea. There was a steady, distant throb reaching out to all parts of her body that seemed to have no end or beginning. As she lay there, every muscle aching, she searched with her ever focusing eyes to find out just _where_ she was. Somewhere with a ceiling, that was certain - if not completely useless.

It was warm, not hot exactly, but a pleasant temperature that spoke of winter outside. She was laying down, surrounded on all sides by a wonderfully comforting softness. Below her she could feel herself sinking into a supple mattress as the weight of a toasty duvet settled around her and a perfectly plump pillow resting beneath her head. All she needed was to close her eyes and she would be lost again to the land of slumber, an almost too tempting offer. Had it not been for the sudden movement at her side, she might just have slipped off.

Ignoring her aching, well everything (why did she hurt?) Abby turned her head slowly. She was a little more worse than wear than she had originally estimated when she had been laying still. Perhaps it was the pain that caused understanding the sight she saw be so illusive to her mind. For the life of her she just could not grasp what she was seeing.

She was no more than nine, though honestly she looked younger still. Pretty blue eyes, wide and curious as they rested within a small heart shaped face. Pale skin, smattered generously with adorable looking freckles, was stretched over a skinny frame. If Abby's estimation for the girl's age was any good, the child was tall for her few years, lanky and perhaps a little awkward with her long limbs. Dark locks, perhaps brown but dark enough to be black, were haphazard and curling uncontrollably from the confines of her sloppy looking braid. For some strange reason she was the oddest thing Abby had ever seen.

She shifted, slowly propping herself up onto her elbows, and the girl froze in place. Her bright robin egg's eyes widening even further as she stared back. Noticing the girl's fright Abby worked to sooth the child. "'S okay," Her voice was thick, warbling in a tangled mess. Offering a stiff smile she winced as the girl scooted back before promptly turning on her heel and fleeing the room. Watching the girl run out of the room as if the demons of hell itself were in pursuit Abby could just faintly hear her shouting for her father. Her small feet sounding like thunder on the hardwood floors, how was it possible for children to make so much noise?

Scowling the lizard girl fell back onto the bed with a groan. She should have known better, she really should have. She was _terrible_ with children. Any small movement, any attempt at conversation, and _boom_ tears and screaming. She hadn't even gotten past "_hello"_ this time, apparently some children could just naturally read her and knew just when to head for the hills. _Where was Connor when she needed him? Children __**loved**__ Connor._ Huffing loudly she found herself staring once again at the ceiling. Lying there wasn't helping her figure out who the girl was, it wasn't even helping her figure out _where the hell she was_.

Huffing to herself she lifted her hands to rub at her stiff face. The instant her hands touched the skin she jerked them back with a yelp. Surprised by the pain she sat up again, careful of the ache that coursed through her frame. Tentatively she reached up for her cheek, slowly and carefully brushing her finger across the source of the stinging pain. A swatch of plastic and gauze rested uncomfortably between her cheek and her finger, silently explaining the pain away as part of an injury. Being careful not to add more pain by using too much pressure she traced the length of the plaster, estimating it to be roughly the length of her palm. Frowning she looked around the room, searching for a mirror to look herself over.

It had occurred to her before of course, that the ceiling above her had walls attached and a floor laying parallel beneath it. She hadn't, however, anticipated the room to look so...normal. It was a bedroom, not large or small but of a comfortable enough size that reminded her of her room back home in her flat. The walls were a creamy green that bounced nicely off the dark hardwood floors, and though it was sparse the decorator of the room had obviously put some effort into making it look nice in its functionality. Other than the bed she lay on, there were a few other pieces of furniture. A ornate dresser set against one wall, two bedside tables, a vanity and seat resting across from her beside a door that looked to lead to a pristine bathroom.

Trying to stand took more effort than it really should have and judging by the pain that radiated at distinct parts of her body she could guess that the cut on her cheek was not her only injury. _Why wasn't she in a hospital if she was hurt?_ Trepidation prickled the hair at the back of her neck, the situation was wrong. So very wrong. Who was the child? Why was she there and why did it look like she was being housed in a guest room? _Where was Connor? The rest of the team?_

A few painful steps forward and she discovered a chest set at the foot of the bed. Her clothes were stacked on top, folded neatly and looking freshly washed with her shoes set on the floor next to the door. Seeing them alerted her to the fact that sometime in her fuzzy past she had been redressed and now wore a set of slightly too-large flannels. Her stomach dropped sickeningly at the idea of someone unknown stripping her down, even to redress her, while she was unconscious. Swallowing back her unease as best as she could she gathered up the articles of clothing, moving on towards the bathroom. If she was going to need to fight for her life she bloody well wasn't going to do it in jimjams and bare feet.

Her hand had just wrapped securely about the silver knob of the bathroom, her feet getting chilled on the cold tile of the bathroom, when the other door was thrown open with a flourish she had only ever seen in the badly made movies Connor sometimes watched. Jumping, her side roaring at her in protest at the sudden motion, she dropped her clothes to the floor as she looked about wildly for a weapon. Her hands clenched her sturdy boots, desperation making chucking them at the heads of any intruders all the more appealing. As her blue eyes jumped to the faces of her would-be attackers she let out a slow breath of relief, the adrenaline that had burned through her veins to prepare her to fight ebbing away and allowing the pain to filter back in.

Connor stood at the forefront, hat askew on his head appearing for all the world as if it was hanging on to his dark tendrils for dear life. A sizable bruise creeping about his left eye matched his split lip to explain to her that she was not the only one injured in whatever had happened to them. He was looking to the bed frantically before his frenzied search turned to the rest of the room, it was soothingly typical of Connor to be so over the top with his emotions. Finally turning to face her the tension in his lanky frame eased, elation replacing the panic in such a rush that it took her a moment to fully comprehend the large dimpled smile that was sent her way. Behind him Cutter had come in at a much less harried pace with a steaming cup in hand and...

...And Connor Temple filing in behind. _Another _Connor Temple.

What the hell?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hmm, I feel like this ran away with me a little... I'm not a hundred percent happy with this chapter, and I might come back later and tweak things, but at about the 3000 word mark I was pretty sure I should wrap it up and save some things for the rest of the story. As promised there are answers in this chapter, though the rest of the questions should be taken care of in the next chap.**

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really hyped me up to finish this chapter and get the next one started out. As always reviews are my life blood and reviewers are loved more than life itself. Any and all concrit is greatly loved and will be promptly used.**

**-V**

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"Welcome back to the land of the living."

Big dimpled smile. Puppy dog brown eyes. Haphazard black hair, streaked here and there with silver and tangled beneath a set of wire frame glasses perched messily atop his head. For the past two years she had known him, but never quite like this...

"Abby?" Connor, _Her_ Connor, was striding over to her. The distance between them eaten up easily with his long legs as he came to stand beside her. Her gaze was still locked onto the other, uneasy and completely out of her element. "Are you alright?" He reached a hand out to touch her but stopped, hovering. She knew without looking at him that he was deliberating, unsure if she would snap should he actually touch her.

"What..." She turned to look at him, inching back as her gaze jumped from one Connor Temple to the other. Dinosaurs and Future Predators she could handle, could take on head on with little more than a blink of an eye. That was normal, normal for their world. Two Connor Temples? She had the right to be skittish. "What the hell is going on here?" The hand that had been reaching for her dropped in defeat, Connor stepping back some as he tried to hide the emotions that so plainly light up his face. Guilt niggled at the back of her mind for a moment, only to be pushed to the side as Nick cleared his throat.

"It's...a bit complicated." The professor motioned to Connor, the _other_ Connor, and gave her a somewhat weak smile. "Our host here was actually about to explain it to us when..." Cutter paused, looking to the older Connor questioningly.

"Oh, Tessa, Tess." He smiled broadly, turning towards the door behind him. Abby hadn't realized it, not with the headache and the pain radiating throughout her body and the _two Connors_, but there was another person standing just outside the door. "Tess, come 'ere love." The little girl from before, shyly peeking around the thick doorframe, slowly stepped into the room before scuttling over to stand behind the older Connor. Clinging to his leg and peering around his much larger frame the child looked absolutely adorable in her blue and green pajamas. "Tess's home sick from school, flu season you know?" Abby's lifted from the - apparently sick - little girl to the other Connor who was grinning down at the child. "She came and got us when she saw you were up."

It was...normal. Normal-ish. Sorta normal-ish. Connor, chattering like mad, like there was nothing _wrong_ with what was going on. Like the world hadn't suddenly gone topsy-turvy. But it wasn't Connor was it? It couldn't be. She was looking at Connor - the _real_ Connor - standing right in front of her with his heart on his sleeve and his trade-mark hat on his head. So...so then what? What was going on?

"He's me." Abby's attention jumped back to Connor, her Connor, to see his concern had melded into a familiar looking exuberance. "Well...sorta. He," Connor made a wide sweeping gesture towards the other him. "Is me from the future, er...present, er..." Connor turned to look at Cutter and...himself...looking momentarily helpless. "I'm making things more confusing for her, aren't I?" The other Connor nodded, mirror grin on his face as he reached down and scooped the little girl up, settling her on his hip as she reached up to grab onto the collar of his shirt. Looking at "Tess" now, Abby could see the glazy eyes and runny nose of a common sicknesses.

"Perhaps we should let Abby get dressed and finish this downstairs with the others?" Cutter looked far too pleased with the situation, no doubt enjoying the confusion she was clearly in. Suspiciously switching her gaze from one Connor to the other she nodded, moving to gather up her clothes. The Connor that held the little girl shifted his load, turning to leave. Cutter took a sip from his mug as he followed, step easy and relaxed. Sniffing Abby wondered how relaxed the Professor would be when the full effect of _two_ Connor Temples going completely geek-tastic on him would be. Her Connor paused, watching her blankly for a moment before he finally turned to leave.

She was just reaching for the knob again when she heard his voice, soft and a little distant. "Abs?" She turned, wary, and saw him - her Connor - standing uncertainly in the doorway. Fidgeting as only Connor could. "It's alright, you know? I know we haven't explained much...but we're all alright. Okay?"

It was so typically Connor to pick up on her suspicions on this situation and be completely oblivious as to why she disliked Caroline so much.

Smiling at him as best she could, her face hurt from whatever injury she had on her cheek and the plaster made moving her itch uncomfortably, she nodded. "Yeah Conn, I get that..." She let the smile fade a bit. "Just...just a little, out of my element?" He nodded, his dimply grin returning to its proper place. Nodding again he grabbed the door, closing it behind him as he disappeared through the doorway and down the hall.

Staring after him for a moment she sighed tiredly, moving back to the pile of freshly washed clothes now in a crumple in her arms. Setting them down on the bathroom counter she sighed, taking in her appearance in the mirror. She scowled immediately, groaning at the mess that greeted her. And she thought Connor had looked bad? At least Connor didn't look like he had lost a fight with a rouge cheese grater. Sullen she began peeling off the layers of flannel she had been wrapped up in, she would have to ask who exactly it was that had taken care of her clothing situation later. She doubted Cutter had done so, but then again had it been Connor he wouldn't have been able to look her in the face without being as red as a tomato.

Stripped down before the mirror the full extent of her injures were brought into focus. She had a gash down her side. Long, though shallow - barely more than a very bad brush burn - and a few other cuts and bruises. Other than being caked with dirt and dried blood from head to foot and looking like she slept in a tumble dryer she might have passed as somewhat human. Even her hair, as short as it was, managed to rebel against any form of looking nice as it spiked and matted here and there in the sort of tragic fashion that made even the nicest of people openly cringe.

Huffing she scrounged around the counter for a moment, turning the hot water on in the sink as she searched for a washcloth. With everyone - who was "everyone" exactly? - apparently waiting for her she didn't think she would have time for a full shower, but at the very least she could get some of the layers of grunge off of her. With some searching she found some shampoo and conditioner tucked away and proceeded to duck her head beneath the warm water, scrubbing away the hours of hell that had entwined itself into her blonde locks. Once upon a time she had long hair, until one night with her friends, one too many drinks and a dare had her hacking away her locks with manic drunken glee. Though she had regretted the ultimate outcome - _never_ hairstyle drunk - she had found that she liked her new look. It especially came in handy when one needed to do a quick wash up.

Scrubbing off some of the layers of dirt off her face and arms, she quickly redressed - careful of her injuries - and grabbed her boots as she left to find everyone else. As she stepped out into the long hallway she paused, back to the door of the room she had slept within as she stared down the large hall. Pictures lined the walls, a few small sideboards were set up as well with vases and flowers, a few old rugs were thrown down onto the hardwood floors. There were other doors, all shut, that led her out to a large staircase and an open air view of the foyer below. The house was huge, from the small portion she had seen she could tell that much, but well loved and filled memories of the family that lived within it. Padding silently down the steps she followed the sound of easy chattering, looking around in interest as she followed the sound of the voices. On nearly every available inch of space there had been some sort of photograph or statue or brightly colored picture drawn with a childes careful scrawl. All displays of a close-knit family, happy, if not a little eccentric...judging by the various assorted clothing hanging from the chandelier above her head.

"Here she is." Stephen's voice echoed out from the room behind her, light and cheery despite her headache. Turning she saw the other man standing in the archway leading into the kitchen. He nodded his head towards the room behind him, turning to lead her inside. Following, giving the foyer a final glance over her shoulder, she smiled instinctually at the smell of cooking food. With all the confusion she barely had time to think about how hungry she really was.

"Oh that smells like heaven." She looked around, spotting Jenny and Cutter sitting at a sturdy looking kitchen table each cradling their own mugs of coffee as a third mug, Stephen's, sat waiting for its owner who promptly return to his seat and scooped it up.

Jenny smiled at her from her seat. "Glad to see you up and about. We were starting to worry." Abby returned the smile as best she could, shrugging some as she stepped in further. It really _did_ smell wonderful in there.

"It will take a lot more than..." Her smile fell a little, her hand subconsciously coming up to touch the tender bump at the back of her head. "Whatever it was...to keep me down and out." The sound of the skillet mixed with the smell of the food and somehow above the racket her stomach was able to be heard roaring in protest at its emptiness.

A chuckled greeted her from her other side. "I'm glad to hear you have an appetite, Joe in the medical ward said you might be off your feed - so to speak - for a while. Said the bump on the head you got might make you nauseous for awhile." Connor, the Older Connor, was standing over the stove, a towel carelessly tossed over one shoulder as he moved a skillet of fluffy scrambled eggs off the heat. Leaning against the fridge behind him Her Connor - she was really going to have to come up with some better titles than those - held little Tess in his arms with a grin. "What will it be eh? I can make anything you want!" She smiled at the flourish he showed, the same flourish Her Connor exuberantly flaunted every time _he_ cooked her a meal. It was good to see some things would never change.

"Mm, whatever it is you have cooking there." She looked at Her Connor, head tilting as a single brow rose. "Why don't you cook like this back at home?" There was a plate of freshly cooked bacon setting on the counter near her, waiting to be passed around. Reaching out she quickly snatched up a piece and brought it up to her mouth, blowing gently to cool it before she popped it into her mouth. Her Connor watched her every move, dark eyes seeming larger than usual for some reason.

"Oi, I _do_ cook just like this at home. If I didn't _you'd_ burn the bloody flat down trying to boil water." Older Connor chuckled at that while she glared at both of them, huffing slightly before she moved over to sit at the table beside Jenny who was trying - unsuccessfully - to stifle a laugh into her cup of coffee. Neither Cutter or Stephen had such restraint.

Irritated she crossed her arms before her on the table, setting her head atop them with a stubborn frown. "Someone promised to explain things." She cast a glare towards Her Connor was handing little Tess off to his other self in order to take over at the stove. Balancing the sick child on his hip, allowing her to play with his glasses, Older Connor moved around the counter to face them.

"You're right, we did." Tess rested her head against his chest, her glassy eyes falling half-mast. "And I think that letting Mini-Me back there," He rolled his head in the vague direction of his younger self. "Only made things even more confusing." Her Connor glared at the back of the other's head, tossing the skillet easily before him to let the eyes he was frying slide about and flip. Despite her grousing, Connor was in fact the only one in their flat that knew how to cook. Hell, _Rex_ could probably make a better meal than she could. "Let me start from the beginning."

She looked up at him from beneath her lids, still bothered by the jab at her cooking skills. "That's usually where these things start."

Cutter leaned back in his seat, "Don't be smart, from what I can tell Connor...eh, _this_ Connor," He jerked his thumb towards the one holding the small child. "Is the only reason we haven't been eaten alive by Lester."

Abby blinked, turning her attention back to the Older Connor in interest. He shook his head, absently taking his glasses back from the now nearly asleep child and placing them atop his head. "Nah, not really. Lester would much rather you all be back at the ARC, safe and sound out of sight of the general population." He shifted Tess's weight slightly, trying hard not to disturb the little girl. "Especially with crash test Nancy here in such a state of disrepair." He gave Abby a pointed look, one dark brow raised. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly before kicking at Stephen under the table for nodding in agreement to the statement. Wasn't exactly _her_ fault she was all banged up...at least she didn't _think _so.

"So why aren't we at the ARC then?" Jenny asked, eyebrows quirked as she smoothly stirred the spoon around her mug absently. Behind the stove the younger Connor stilled his movements to look them all over. "I'm aware that Lester was upset - he looked absolutely livid when the two of you were talking before, but no one ever explained _why_."

Older Connor grinned wryly at her, looking both bothered and amused by the situation. "The Minister decided to "investigate" our little program. I'm not sure what exactly the problem _is_, but apparently we've all been placed under one hell of a microscope for a while." The younger Connor pulled the eggs he was cooking off the heat, turning the stove down as he made his way around the counter to join them. "The gist of it is, if the Minster's men find anything at all suspicious or weird going on while his men are poking around, the ARC is going to be shut down. Or at least all of us are going to be kicked out on our As- ah," He glanced down at the little girl he held, who was staring up at him daringly. "Out on our butts."

"Suspicious or weird?" The younger Connor laughed in a familiar high pitched way. "Isn't everything about the ARC suspicious or weird?" Abby snorted an agreement, shifting so that her elbow rested on the table and her head rested atop her fist. As Stephen took a large swallow of his coffee she stared at the mug longingly.

The Older Connor chuckled. "Well...as far as ARC is concerned. And, quite frankly," He looked around at all of them pointedly, "Having a past version of the time come tumbling through an Anomaly is pretty weird...even for us."

"So you just...what?" Cutter looked at the Older Connor, his head tilting in curiosity. "Decided to sneak us home like we were a bunch of stray cats or something?" He gave the older Connor a look, somewhat disapproving, that all of them knew well. "What exactly are you going to tell your family? Oh, Hi Hun, how are the kids, work was good, and oh by the way this is my past self and his friends they fell through a rip in time and space and they'll be staying with us for a while, what's for dinner?"

Stephan chuckled, shaking his head. "He's got a point, I mean..." He motioned towards little Tess with a concerned look. "You're daughter here is one thing, she's what...eight, nine?"

"Nine and a quarter." Tess gave Stephen what Abby could only think of was a withering glare from the child. Catching Her Connor's eye she shared a smile. She might be terrible with children, but at least she hadn't earned the death glare from little Tess like Stephen had.

Stephen stared at the child in bewilderment for a moment, before finally nodding - glancing to the Older Connor for a confused moment - and offering a weak smile. "Sorry, Nine and a quarter." Tess sniffed and turned her attention away from him burrowing her head into her father's shoulder, leaving Stephen to finish. "But what about everyone else? What are you going to say, family reunion - look how much we look alike?"

The Older Connor chuckled loudly, grinning manically at them. "Nah, don't have to." He jerked his head in the direction of the large bay windows that light the room. "The closest house about a quarter of a mile away, no nosey neighbors to deal with. And as for the rest of my family..." He grinned again, a little conspiratorially. "I met my wife at the ARC, if anyone's going to understand this little mess it's going to be her."

Abby sat up a little in interest. Connor, married? It shouldn't surprise her. She _did_ just find out that little Tess was his daughter. Looking now she could see the band of gold on Older Connor's finger. She looked to Her Connor, thinking about him in the domestic scene she saw his older self in now. She had never thought about it, never really had any reason to, but if there ever was a man meant to get married and live the happily-ever-after gig, it was him. Something burned a little in the pit of her stomach, something she really didn't want to think about. pushing it away she thought of Caroline, who he had most certain _not_ met at the ARC, and felt content at the fact that in the scheme of things the woman wouldn't last.

The Older Connor continued. Behind him Her Connor began searching through the cupboards, pulling down various dishes. "Stephen's at a friend's working on a school project..." They turned to him in confusion and he shrugged. "Not this Stephen, obviously," He nodded to the tracker in question, "My son Stephen. My other two are already out terrorizing the world." He chuckled giving her a smile. "Gotta watch out for those University Student's, they'll be the death of yah."

Jenny's eyebrows rose. "You have four children?" She looked surprised. "How did you managed to have four children while running off to deal with Anomalies every five minutes?"

Older Connor smirked. "I told you that my wife worked for ARC as well..." Stephen shook his head, rubbing at his face while Cutter snorted to himself quietly. Her Connor turned a lovely shade of red, pausing misstep as he reached her, a plate of food and silverware in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. Seeing the embarrassed look on his face she offered him a small smile that grew as he handed off the food and drink over to her.

"Thanks." Her Connor shrugged noncommittally with a soft smile on his face as the Older Connor paused to watch them. Realizing she had caught his attention she looked away from Her Connor, instead gathering up the silverware and digging in. She really _was_ starving. "So, I get you're hiding us here in order to keep the ARC up and running...but why exactly aren't you there now?" She looked up at the Older Connor as Her Connor took a seat beside her. Jenny stood up, moving over to the kitchen to grab her own meal. "If everyone's trying to make the Minister think everything is normal, shouldn't you be there working so no one is suspicious?"

Older Connor shifted slightly, looking a little guilty. "I uh..." He looked around the table, seeing the interested looks of the others. "I sort of was suspended for a coupla weeks...Becker called me in to get you guys off the record since I've been temporarily...banned...from any and all active duty for a while."

"_You_ were suspended?" Stephen was almost slack jaw as he stared at the older Temple. "What did you do? Hack into the wrong file, get caught playing games on the ADD?" Jenny snorted slightly behind the counter, though she too looked surprised.

The older Connor glared half heartedly at them. "No. I...I might have punched the wrong person..." At their stares he rolled his eyes. "Look, he was some sort of bureaucrat who thought he could make a quick buck selling creatures on the black market. Unfortunately we couldn't pin anything on him and...well..."

"You punched him?" Cutter filled in, managing to look less surprised as he absorbed the news. "I'm going to take a wild guess here, this sudden investigation into the ARC...?"

The Older Connor nodded guilty. "Might have something to do with the fact that the guy I punched was pretty buddy-buddy with the Minister." Cutter chuckled loudly, shaking his head as he leaned against the table. "Yeah, Lester wasn't _nearly_ as impressed with the situation. Threatened to-"

The front door opened, cutting of the Older Connor midsentence. "Hello? Anybody home?" The Older Connor jumped, looking towards the doorway in fear for a moment before turning back to them.

"_Hide_."


	3. Chapter 3

**I am SO SORRY! I've actually had this done since about a day AFTER I last posted, but unfortunately there was a slight family emergency and I haven't even gotten to my computer, let alone online, for...god a week? Unfortunately I haven't gotten a chance to get back to all my beautiful reviewers, but I over the next few days I should be getting back on track.**

**As always, reviews are welcomed and loved more than anything and any and all concrit will be used to the best of my ability.**

**-V**

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"_Hide._" Older Connor stared at them with large, frightening eyes. His jerking movements from before had awoken little Tess and she was now looking around blearily, clearly annoyed by her father's sudden movements as he skittered about the kitchen. Jolting towards Jenny, who had moved to stand by the fridge, Older Connor grabbed her by the elbow and ushered her toward the small beaten door in the corner that led to the cramped pantry. Turning back towards them he gave a panicked glance towards the doorway. "Seriously, you guys need to get disappeared, _now._" His voice was hushed as he spoke to them, higher pitched never the less from his panic.

They all stood up from the table, doing their best to be quiet as the Older Connor came rushing over to them. "Hello? I saw the truck in the drive..." The voice was feminine, confused as it echoed about. The sound of footprints heading was heard, heals clicking softly as the woman walking in the opposite direction of the kitchen. The Older Connor spun in the direction of the doorway for a moment before turning back, handing Tess off to his younger self as he grabbed Abby and Cutter by their elbows and pulling them towards the pantry, frantically motioning for Stephen and his younger self to follow. "Oh come on I know you're here."

"Who is that?" Stephen look towards the doorway, his voice hushed as the Older Connor shoved him into the cramped space. Placing his finger to his lips in annoyance the older Temple shushed him.

Yelling over his shoulder he pushed Connor and Abby in, sandwiching Stephen in between them and Cutter and Jenny. "Ah, in the kitchen honey..." He looked at them apologetically for a moment before motioning them to keep quiet and shutting the door in one swift movement, leaving them in darkness. "Just making some breakfast for Tess." From the foyer he could hear her moving in his direction and glanced around for his daughter, closing his eyes tightly as he realized where she was. Spinning around he swung the door open, taking in the confused faces of his "guests" before lunging to scoop Tessa out of his younger self's arms.

"I thought I smelled cooking." She was in the doorway to the kitchen and with a panicked jump he slammed the pantry door shut and spun to face the source of his panic. A single blonde lock lifted in suspicion, arms crossing before her chest. "What was that?"

He grinned, attempting innocence, and looked down at the now wide awake Tess in his arms. He hoped very dearly that his youngest wouldn't rat him out, though considering who they were up against... "What was what? OH, oh." He chuckled nervously, pointing to the door his back was now resting against. "That? Tess..." He swallowed, motioning towards the little girl in his arms. "Tessa locked herself in the pantry, you know, does it all the time. Cole used to do it too when he was her age." He flashed his teeth at her, looking more scared than anything else. "Really...really should get that figured out..." She stared at him for a long moment, that single brow still high in disbelief. "What are you doing here anyway? You're supposed to be visiting you mate Justine...

**

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Being shoved into a space only slightly larger than a coffin with four other full grown adults and a small flu stricken child was not a pleasant experience.**

Abby blinked in the sudden dark of the pantry, looking down at Tess who was sandwiched between her and Her Connor. Outside of the door they could hear the Older Connor shouting back to whoever it was they were supposed to be hiding from. "Just making some breakfast for Tess." There was a shuffle from behind the door before it was pulled back open and the Older Connor stood staring at them for a moment before scooping up his daughter and jumping back.

"I thought I smelled cooking." From behind her flatmate's older self she could just make out swoop of blonde hair and a feminine figure with her hand fisted on her hip before he slammed the door back in place. Though muffled through the thick wood Abby could just make out a woman's voice, then Older Connor's quick panicked voice as he hastily attempted to explain what he was doing. Groaning quietly she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Her Connor's chest. Connor was notoriously honest to a fault, a fact that she usually found comforting in a world of lies and half-truths, but a fact that usually led to his downfall when he actually _had_ to lie.

"_Cutter!"_ Jenny hissed from the back of the pantry, uncomfortably forced into a corner with Cutter slammed up before her. Glancing back, just barely able to see them between Connor's lanky frame and Stephen's broad shoulders. "Watch your hands!" Stephen shushed them, despite his smile, while Cutter attempted to distance himself - and his hands - from the team's PR woman. His movement only forced Stephen to stumble backwards into Connor who stumbled and fell onto her wedging her between him and the shelf behind her. _And she thought him running around in his boxers was too much. _She squeaked despite herself and she found Connor's hand suddenly pressed against her mouth as his dark eyes locked with hers.

His glove was soft. A completely unnecessary thought considering they were hiding in the equivalent of a broom closet in the home of Connor's future self. It ran through her head anyway, useless and relentless as she tried to steady the sudden rapid beating of her heart. The fabric of his fingerless gloves was soft and his fingers were callused against her un-bandaged cheek and he was warm and she _shouldn't be thinking the things she was thinking._ "_Shh._" He held his other hand up to his mouth, a finger pressed against his lips.

"Justine can wait." Connor's head turned to face the door, oblivious to the fact that she was staring at him and wondering when he had gained the muscles she could feel pressed against her, he was too close, _far _to close, why wasn't he moving away? The woman was closer now, just outside the door, and sounded distinctly annoyed. Who _was_ she? "I got a call," Connor shifted, glancing back to her for a moment before hastily removing his hand and stepping backwards, colliding into an Stephen who - already annoyed by being sandwiched between in the middle of the pantry - shoved him back. "From Mum. You hung up on her after mentioning something coming through an Anomaly." At the back of the pantry Jenny, crammed into the corner with her elbows jamming into the shelves around her as she crossed her arms defensively before her chest, was glaring bloody murder. The object of her ire, Cutter, was pressed as far away from her as possible, his hands up in surrender as he embarrassedly avoided her gaze in the dark pantry. It occurred to Abby, as Connor tumbled back into her his hands instinctively flying up and resting on either side of her head and once again trapping her against the shelves, that this was one of the most awkward experiences in her life. Including the little stint of crawling around in the tight confines of the air ducts she and Connor had done not so many months ago.

"Dad...what are you hiding?"

Abby's eye flew up to Her Connor's as they both registered the conversation on the other side of the door. His daughter? They were stuffed into a broom closet to hide from _his __**daughter**_? Abby sulked, glaring at Connor as he turned to stare at the door, a look of wonder on his face. She really couldn't blame him, twenty-four hours ago he was being dragged off to who knew where by _Caroline_ and now he found out he would marry and have four children with a woman he hadn't even met yet...at least she assumed he hadn't met her yet...

She really hated time travel sometimes.

"Hiding? Phh. Jacks, I'm hurt, really." On the other side of the door the Older Connor sounded more panicked than hurt. "Jacks" seemed to pick up on this fact as well.

"What did you do?"

It was so matter of fact, not even a question really. Had it not been for the fact that she had used that very same dry tone on Connor many times herself - nearly every day with the way his mad mind ran wild - she might have been able to contain herself. As it was the ridiculousness of the situation - packed away in a cupboard like worn-out clothing, stuck against the wall with Connor practically on top of her, Cutter and Jenny playing the part of the awkward squad in the back, Stephen exasperated stuck between them all with nowhere to go, and all of it for the sake of hiding from _Connor's _wayward offspring - was too much for her overtired, aching head. She laughed, half strangled as she clapped a hand over her mouth as Connor spun and set his surprised gaze onto her. It only made it worse. She snorted into the palm of her hand, the injury on her side aching as she fought they hysterical laughter.

The door jerked, flooding the dark space with the too-bright light of an early winter morning. The Older Connor was in the background, eyes closed in one of those moments of _ah shit_ that he seemed to have so often, as a leggy blond with her father's dark, dark eyes stood in the doorway staring in on them. Abby's hand fell away and she gripped her aching side, her laughter bubbling up in quick panicked bursts that she couldn't control. The humor of the situation was gone and Her Connor was looking at her with a look of absolute fear. She was shaking, the giggles turning into hiccupping sobs she couldn't control. All around her the world became grainy, distant as she became lost to the unnaturalness of the whole situation.

"Bloody mother of goddamn hell Dad, what _is __**this**_?" Stephen looked up at the young woman in the doorway as she cursed, her attention fixed on the ever more and more hysterical Abby in frozen horror. Behind the girl, Stephen was going to assume she was Jacks, Older Connor gave her a disapproving gaze. Fatherly and stern and so very bizarre on the face of the young geek that Stephen very nearly didn't recognize it as him being Connor for a moment. The day was getting stranger and stranger.

"Jacquelyn Sarah Temple watch your language in front of your sister. She's bound to pick up enough from the guys at the ARC in a couple more years, she doesn't need your help learning ever more creative ways of cursing." The young woman jumped, looking up at her father with a slight cringe at the rebuke. In the pantry Abby began slipping downward towards the floor, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she trembled. The younger Connor grabbed at her in alarm looking like he had no idea what he was too do with the suddenly hysterical Abby. "Bloody..." The Older Connor glanced back towards Tess, standing off in the middle of the kitchen with wide frightened eyes, before moving his attention back to his older daughter. "Go grab some alcohol or tranquilizers or _something_, we need to get her to calm down." He moved forward, moving down to the floor and gently pushing his younger self away. With little more than a nod Jacks was running off, scooping up her sister from the middle of the kitchen as she went.

"She's...what's wrong with her?" Jenny stood rigidly in the corner, staring at her friend in horror as the usually strong zoologist fell into an unexpected frenzy. The Older Connor held Abby's shoulders, trying to catch her gaze. Stephen came to kneel at his elbow, on the other side of the future Temple their Connor looked on with growing concern. Cutter set a comforting hand on Jenny's arm.

"She's been in shock. Getting thrown around like she did, waking up in a strange place, finding out she's in the future," Cutter glanced between the two women. "It's all been a bit much all at once. She's coming out of it now I think, a little hysterically but..." He swallowed uncertain. "She should be okay...after she gets it out of her system...I hope."

The Older Connor glanced up at them, his mouth in a firm line. "The medic mentioned that this might happen, what with the knock on the head and all." He turned back to the hyperventilating girl before him. "Abby, Abby, come on, look at me..." He moved his hands to cup her cheeks, moving so that he was at eye level to her. "There we are. Alright, Abs? I need you to trust me here, you need to _breath_, okay? Can you do that for me?" She looked at him blankly for a moment, not registering, before finally nodding, her hands coming up to fist around his wrists tightly. "Good, good, just...keep breathing. Nice and easy." He nodded his head, more to himself than anyone else.

"I've got it!" Jacks came tumbling around the corner, an elegant bottle of a honey colored liquid in one hand and an empty milk glass in the other. "Here...it's all I could find." She shoved at Stephen a little, wiggling in between him and her father as she quickly cracked the seal on the bottle and sloshed it into the mug haphazardly.

Shifting backwards the Older Connor looked at the bottle she had. "Hey! That's the bottle of Peach Brandy Lester gave me for my birthday! Do you know what I had to go through for him to like me enough to give me that!" He stared at his daughter in open mouthed shock. "_Two_ Future Predators, _two!_ _And _a grumpy civil servant!"

Jacks gave him an annoyed look, gently bringing the glass up to Abby's mouth. "It was either this or clocking her over the head with a brick, what did you want me to do?" Jacks turned back to the zoologist with a small smile. "Here you go, just a few sips at a time." Abby did as requested, taking a small sip between her ragged breaths. Slowly she began to calm down, her breathing evening out. Jacks looked back to her father, hissing under her breath as she took the glass back. "_What are they __**doing**__ here?_"

The Older Connor sighed, getting to his feet. "It's a long story," He looked to Cutter and Jenny in the back of the pantry. "One that we should probably finish in the living room," He looked down at Abby, his younger self hovering uncertainly at her side grasping onto the bottle of brandy. The younger Temple looked as if he might just dip into it himself if Abby didn't calm down soon. "Do you mind carrying her? I need to go find some aspirin for her head." Stephen nodded, though when he looked up he realized that the question was aimed at the other man's younger self. The younger Connor was just as surprised.

"Uh..." The younger Connor looked at his flatmate, her breathing though slowed was still erratic and her gaze was distant. She was still trembling. "Yeah...sure..." He nodded his head, still looking uncertain, and shifted forward, placing his hands beneath Abby's back and legs. With a little adjustment and some color in his cheeks Connor got to his feet, Abby in tow. Stephen followed suit, watching for any signs of Connor nervously dropping the still not-quite-there Abby.

"Do mind takin' them to the living room Jacks?" The Older Connor led the way out of the pantry, glancing over his should to his eldest daughter. "I'm going to call Becker, see if the medic has any information that might help with Abs." The tall blonde girl nodded her head, shoving her hair out of her eyes as she motioned for the others to follow her.

"It's this way..." She looked over them all, letting out a long suffering sigh as she shook her head. "I can't _believe_ we're doing this..." Jacks looked up at her father, nose scrunching. "You're going to get us killed, you know that? Mum's going to kill you." The Older Connor shrugged noncommittally, moving over to the counter and pulling the cordless phone off its cradle, a shadow of his usual grin in place.

"Yeah, but what a way to die eh?" He began dialing, "I always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory."

His daughter rolled her eyes, moving off towards the door leading to the foyer. "Come on you lot, we better get her laid out on the couch before she decides to freak out on us again." Sharing uncertain glances the team followed, leaving the Older Connor to his phone call. As they made their way into the foyer she turned to look at them. "Any chance Dad told you not to look at the pictures on the wall?" She looked hopeful, but at Cutter's shake of the head she deflated. "Any chance you haven't seen anything you shouldn't?"

"Depends on what we shouldn't have seen." Cutter raised an eyebrow as they crossed the foyer and entered into a comfortable looking living room. "Though honestly when a person ends up in the house of the future home of one of their friends they aren't really paying attention to the photos on the wall." Jacks nodded, motioning for Connor to set Abby on the couch, before moving over to the wall.

"Yeah, well, just in case." She grabbed at the frames on the wall, carefully selecting the pictures she deemed "dangerous" and taking them down one at a time and stacking them in her arms. "Do you know if...Abby...saw the pictures? Maybe that's what caused her to panic?" She turned back to face them, a load of frames over flowing her arms as she watched the past version of her father set the young blonde down on the couch carefully.

"I'm right here you know?" Abby gave the other blonde a disgruntled look through glazed, distant eyes. Connor shifted, flitting nervously between giving her space or fussing over. She still didn't look a hundred percent, pale and shaken where she lay within the plush cushions of the couch, but she was definitely on the mend. "And I didn't really look at the pictures all that much. I mean...I saw them and everything, but I didn't really _look_ at them." Abby turned her attention to Connor who had apparently made a compromise to his dilemma and had settled himself on the couch near her feet. "I was a little preoccupied with trying to figure out _what the __**hell**__ is going on here._"

"Oi, _language._" The Older Connor entered the room, giving Abby a stern look as he pointed to little Tess who had, apparently, been sitting in the large window bench curled up with a pillow and blanket the entire time. Seeing Connor, any Connor, reprimanding Abby was just another reminder of how bizarre their situation was. "Becker's going to call back in a bit, after he talks to some of the medics, he did say that if you _have_ gone into shock we should elevate your legs." He smiled down at Abby, motioning to the pillows his younger self was propped up against.

"I'm fine." She scooted away from both Connors curling into the corner of the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest as she sulkily glared at both of them. From his place across the room, sitting in a comfortable armchair, Cutter smiled to Jenny and Stephen conspiratorially. Despite Connor's, _their_ Connor's, nearly hysterical worry over her the young zoologist was lost in her perceived embarrassment in front of the rest of them.

The Older Connor shrugged, smirking to other three as his younger self hurriedly pulled the pillows out and offered them to the blonde regardless of her refusal. "I don't suppose we could pick up where we left off?" Jenny looked between Jacks, still working on tearing down the photos from her father's walls with furious abandon, and the Older Connor. "Maybe this time _without_ the side trip to the overcrowded shoe box you call a pantry?"

"What was that even about anyway? I though you said that you're family would understand?" Stephen motioned to Jacks from his place in a large overstuffed armchair across the room, looking at the Older Connor expectantly.

"You said _what_?" The older Temple daughter spun to stare at her father slack jawed, her previous anger flaring back to life. "You said- Understand _what_? You _still_ haven't explained _anything_!" She motioned towards the team spread out around her father's living room. "What are these people doing here? Why are they hiding in your pantry?" She stepped forward, slamming the pictures she held down on the coffee table with a clatter. From her place half asleep beneath her blanket Tess jumped, looking wildly around the room. Spotting her sister glaring at their father the youngest Temple child apparently decided against worrying and snuggled back down. "What happened to "avoid changing the past at all cost" or all the other lectures you give every freakin' day?"

The elder Temple rocked back on his heels, beginning to look annoyed by what his daughter was demanding. "Hey, I do not _lecture_ any one! I don't do it every day!" He pointed at his older daughter, his gaze hardening into that ever more familiar "dad look" that somewhere along the line Connor had developed. "And I _know_ very well how badly this could go if they found out even a _minute_ of their future, okay?" He motioned to them as she had done before. "I didn't do this on a _whim_, I did it because if I _hadn't_ then we would be even _more_ screwed then we already fucking are!"

_"Language."_

There was a pause, a stunned moment where no one was entirely certain who had said what, before all eyes in the room turned towards little Tess in the window seat. She was sprawled out, in typical Connor fashion, curled up in the colorful quilt she had and snuggled down into the soft pillow resting behind her head. She was also pointing an accusing finger at her father and giving him a look between a cheeky grin, adorable considering she had apparently inherited her father's dimple, and a reproachful glare. She locked eyes with her father, her pretty blue eyes twinkling with mischief as she broke out into a crooked little smile. The Older Connor stared at her with an amazed expression, completely gob smacked.

The younger Connor was the first to break. His, at first, silent chuckling shaking the couch next to Abby as he looked at the little girl, before he broke out into a full belly laugh. Jacks was next, snorting with laughter as the Older Connor continued to stare down at his flu stricken daughter. It wasn't long before the rest of the team was stifling laughs at the little girl's "innocent" repremand.

"God Tootsie, you sure told _him_ off." Jacks cackled, sweeping over to her sister and scooping her up in a loving hug, spinning her about a little before falling back into the window seat, Tess in tow. Pressing a hand to her sister's head her smile slipped. "Oh you're burning up sweetheart." She sighed. "When Mum get's home she'll fix you up with a bedtime story, eh? That'll make you feel better, huh?"

The Older Connor, finally recovering from his moment of stunned silence, moved forward to check on his daughter. She was a little paler than before, the fever making her sweet. Brushing some of her hair back out of her face he glanced up at Jacks in confusion. "Your Mum's not coming back until another two weeks, she's still in Glasgow working on that project." He looked confused. "I thought you knew that?"

Jacks rose a brow at her father. "Yeah, I do know that. And _no_, she's not." She handed Tess off over to her father, standing up and moving over to sit on the arm of the couch beside Abby. "When you hung up on her, she knew something was up. She's on her way home. She called me to make sure you hadn't already caused the end of the world." The tall blonde glanced down at the past version of her father. "She'll be here in a few more hours."


End file.
